Free Divine Vices by Melissa Parkin Page B

the
Baykok preyed upon anyone with a taste for war. Hence, all the folks who
disappeared were that of weapon bearing men.
    “So,
as all white settlers had become accustomed to, the English disregarded the
advice to vacate and lay their weapons down. Instead they armed themselves
heavily, ready to wage war on this hideous, malevolent spirit. One night, the
entire village fell under attack. Only, their adversary was not that of this
world. No manmade creation could defend them from the cruelty of Death. This
phantom ripped through the community, sparing no person who carried armaments.
By night’s end, only the women and children of the parish had survived. Upon
abandoning their surroundings, they fled to the north and heeded the native’s
counsel.
    “Building
refuge here, free of devastation and all weaponry, the newly established ‘New
Haven’ was constructed with only the purest of intentions in mind. This
God-fearing parish is said to be free of all malevolence, a sanctuary for all
who wish to be liberated from the evils of aggression and carnage. That is why,
to this day, when the sun sets on the hills of New Haven, the townsfolk light
the beacons at the tops of all the churches and even the bell tower of this
very school. It signals to all opposing forces that we have no other objective
but to provide safety and knowledge for this world. Paying tribute to our local
legend, we will all light a candle. Upon everyone in the circle possessing one,
we will blow out the flames at the exact same moment. It is said that if you
are marked for Death, the Baykok’s gleaming red eyes will become visible to you
in the darkness,” concluded Trish.
    Gwen
began to unload her bag, handing each of us a candle of our own.
    “Now,
hurry and get these things lit and blown out, before the smoke detectors go
off,” said Stacy as we passed around a lighter.
    “To
our fallen ancestors and to a hopefully long life,” declared Gwen, raising her
candle once the last candle was lit.
    Everyone
held up their own candle as Stacy counted us down.
    “Five...
four... three... two... one...”
    We
all extinguished our flames with a puff of air from our lips, and darkness
swallowed the entire space. My eyes shifted across the room with a childish
sense of relief that I saw nothing.
    Gwen
and Trish both switched on the lanterns beside them, and I happily invited the
light.
     
    “How
about we make things really interesting?” said Stacy, reaching into the
book bag behind her.
    “Hell
no,” I said the instant she pulled out and displayed an Ouija Board. “You can
count me out.”
    “I
second that,” said Ashley Canton.
    “Third,”
said Stacy’s fellow cheerleader, Brittany Laver.
    “Yeah,
my mom played with one of those things when she was our age, and she and her friends
wound up levitating someone off the floor. I don’t mess with that kind of
hoodoo,” affirmed Gwen.
    “Well,
you’re all more than welcome to go venture your way back to the gym, alone,”
said Stacy, watching us rise up from the floor. “Make sure to tell Michael
Myers that I say ‘hi.’”
    “Come
on,” said Trish, motioning us to sit back down. “It won’t take that long.”
    The
four of us decided to stay, but we refused to participate. Instead, we stepped
outside the circle and parked our butts down on the carpet in front of the long
bookshelf by the computer station, watching them set up the board with a few
yards between us and it for safe distance.
    “I
don’t get why people even mess with those things,” whispered Ashley. “When do
you ever hear somebody ask it something of importance? It’s always, ‘Will Bill
ask me out?’ or ‘Will I pass Mrs. Smith’s exam next Tuesday?’”
    “Exactly,”
I affirmed. “Besides, everyone else partaking in the reading is responsible for
the piece moving across the board. It’s nonsense.”
    “Well,
if you’re so sure, then why don’t you go give them a hand?” cracked Gwen,
playfully nudging me